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Our journey

Meet the Team

Come and meet the family who bring our life-changing challenge events to life!

Directors

Peter Robinson and Matt Rushton – Company Directors

Pete and Matt first met whilst both working together at a fundraising organisation way back in 1999. Between them, they have over 35 years fundraising and event experience. They both have independent skills which, when combined make the perfect recipe for running Global Adventure Challenges.

Pete has spent his entire professional career working in fundraising and events, with his first job being at the tender age of 19! Pete was the very first member of staff at Global Adventure Challenges and has witnessed the calendar of events grow from just 6 per year to now over 130. An encyclopedia of all things relating to the fundraising challenge event market, his enthusiasm is infectious. Still keeping his finger on the pulse, Pete can often be seen completing the odd challenge now and then. Pete oversees the sales, marketing, charity and corporate account side of the business.

Matt heads up the operational side of the business having worked in donor development and donor recruitment, previous to Global Adventure Challenges. Bringing together the elements of challenge events takes great care, planning, management and skill. Together with his team of managers, you’re in fantastic hands - from the support of the Customer Care Team to the logistical planning of flights, ground-handling and UK challenges.

Operations

Craig Wilson - Operations Manager

Craig joined the team in November 2014 and brought with him a wealth of experience, previously working in the outdoor sector as an instructor and manager. He is highly passionate about all things 'outdoor' and has a strong, positive “can do” attitude. Craig head’s up the Operations team at Global Adventure Challenges which means he oversees all the behind the scenes responsibilities (this is a LONG list) for all our challenges in the UK, Europe and worldwide. Along with the rest of the GAC team he works tirelessly in the background ensuring everything is sorted before you go.

UK & European Events

Ashley Andrews – UK & European Events Coordinator

Ashley has worked at Global Adventure Challenges since 2012 and heads up our UK & European events. Ashley and her team look after all the logistics that go into these events, which is a long list! Her passion for the outdoors comes from her love of horse riding, something which she has done since she was just 6 years old. Between office work and horse riding, Ashley manages to make it out onto the odd challenge and has been lucky enough to support people on their challenges all over the UK & Europe.

Dave Hunt – Stores, Event Crew and Challenge Leader

Dave is one of those folks that can master a multitude of tasks – whether it's running the stores with military precision, assisting with Health and Safety, procurement, being a member of the UK & European ground crew or even being Challenge Leader - he can turn his hand to pretty much anything!

He's a very keen motorcyclist (riding all year round) and his vast amount of experience has earned him a place on the National Escort Group Wales (and often finds himself volunteering and working with Welsh Cycling as a Moto Marshall). He is a RoSPA approved Advanced Motorcycle Tutor and if that wasn’t enough, he also volunteers with North Wales Police on their Bike Safe Team! His love of motorcycles has, of course, landed him the role of Challenge Leader for some of our Motorcycle Challenges.

Flights & Ground Handling

Jen Maitland-Jones – Flights & Ground Handling Manager

From starting in the travel industry way back in Laker Airways days Jen has experienced most of everything in travel and now heads our Flights & Ground Handling Department that looks after all of the logistical/operational side of our overseas challenges from booking all flights and organising the ground handlers throughout the world to placing and briefing our Challenge Leaders and Doctors that accompany our participants on their trip. A mammoth of a task she takes on with many a weird quip in her usual dry scouse sense of humour! Just don’t upset her by mentioning Man. United in the same sentence as her beloved Liverpool Football Club!

Cassie Murray – Flights & Ground Handling Officer

Cassie joined the family two years ago after graduating with a degree in Tourism Management. She started in a sales administration role and has recently moved over to the Flights & Ground Handling Department. The main focus of Cassie’s role is to liaise with numerous airlines and our operators on the ground, to ensure that everything is booked and arranged for our participants to have an amazing time on their overseas challenge! Outside of work Cassie likes to swimming, walking and travel.

Customer Care

Jenny Rowlands – Customer Care Manager

Jenny heads up our fantastic Customer Care Team. Jenny is on hand to make sure that all our registered participants are looked after and well prepared for their challenge, always doing her best to answer even the most unusual of requests! From buying last minute sleeping bags for trekkers to sending out flight itineraries, Jenny will ensure you have everything you need for your adventure. Favourite countries: Peru and Croatia. Favourite cities: Copenhagen and Tallinn.

Ceri Ward – Customer Care Officer

Ceri’s personality is as sunny as the tops she wears! Her background in fundraising, having worked previously for a children’s charity, means that she knows exactly what it’s like to be involved in charity challenges from all angles. Her expertise and enthusiasm mean that she’s an integral member of staff and indispensable to the Customer Care Team. When Ceri’s not responding to queries or helping participants on their overseas challenges, you can catch her at a gig or jetting off to some of her favourite cities.

Kate Rushton – Customer Care Officer

Working part time for the customer care department, Kate processes all of the participant registrations and ensures that welcome packs are received for the challenge. Kate is passionate about dance and interior design, and loves to travel the world and experience different cultures.

Sales

Richard Lupton - Open Event Manager

Heading up our team of Charity Account Managers is our cheeky Yorkshire man, Rich. He and the team are incredibly passionate about their work, providing exceptional support to our charity partners. He loves working with our charities, and their supporters, who embark on life-changing challenge events in the UK and overseas.

Rich’s time at Global Adventure Challenges has seen him trek through the Sahara Desert and the Nepalese Himalayas. He is a keen cook and spends his spare time trying to emulate the cuisine experienced on his adventures. His role allows him to combine a passion for marketing and travel, and to increase the number of people raising funds for good causes, across the UK.

Dan Lodge – Charity Account Manager

Dan forms part our Open Challenges Team, and advises charities on how to best promote our exciting range of challenge events. He supports them over the phone, in person and loves holding a presentation, all with the aim of recruiting their supporters on to one of our many events. Dan has a big interest in running and active challenge events, however, this sometimes loses out to his love of food! He always aims to have calories “in the bank” but more often than not ends up, as he puts it, overdrawn!

Matthew Dutton – Charity Account Manager

Matt is one of our Charity Account Managers and a vital part of our sales team, working closely with charities offering them advice and support whenever they may need it. Matt graduated from university with a degree in Sports Event Management and holds over 8 years of experience working within the events industry specialising in team building and the corporate sector. He has a real passion for both travel and sports and outside of work he can be often found on a football field or a squash court!

Emma Parry – Administration Assistant

Emma plays a vital role assisting the Sales and Marketing Team on an administration level – ensuring that we support our charity partners and participants every step of the way. After graduating with a degree and Masters in Sports Science, Emma took herself off to America to travel and coach football across various different states. Outside of work you will most probably find her playing football, engrossed in a film at the cinema, singing along at a gig, or planning her next travel adventure.

Marketing

Georgina Lacey – Marketing Manager

When Georgina's not shouting about how amazing our challenges are you'll find her nose deep in an adventure travel magazine or scrolling through Lonely Planet - with a real passion for travel and adventure that inspires her work everyday. Outside of the office Georgina is a motorsport enthusiast - her interest in motorsports drove her to study Motorsport and Design at university before going on to study for a masters in Marketing.

Katy Barley - Marketing Officer

Katy graduated with a degree in Sports Science, and then went on to complete her Masters in Exercise and Nutrition Science. After graduating Katy worked within a national charity events team, where she fell in love with everything to do with events and marketing. Outside of work Katy loves to explore the outdoors and to travel as much as possible - having spent eight months in Australasia and South East Asia. Katy has also climbed Kilimanjaro herself so knows exactly what it’s like to take on a challenge of a lifetime!

Finance

Mike Robinson - Finance Controller

Mike is the "senior citizen" of our team and is responsible for the maintenance of the financial records and accounts of the business. He's an early bird and usually in the office at the crack of dawn. Mike is a retired local government accountant but is finding a new lease of life with Global.

Kym Waters - Finance Administrator

As our Finance Administrator, Kym has the essential job of dealing with the invoicing of our all our challenge events – not an enviable task! Outside of work Kym has four horses so spends most of her time looking after and riding them – as well as jetting off to as many new places as possible!

Global Adventure Challenges hold an Air Travel Organisers Licence (ATOL number 6506) issued by the Civil Aviation Authority. ATOL is a protection scheme for overseas air packages and flights managed by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Many of the flights and flight-inclusive challenges on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. But ATOL protection does not apply to all challenges and travel services listed on this website. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking. If you do not receive an ATOL Certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. If you do receive an ATOL Certificate but all the parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL protected. Please see our booking conditions for information or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: www.atol.org.uk/ATOLCertificate

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